Garment pressing machine



W. STROBRIDGE GARMENT'PRESSING MACHINE Filed Feb. 18, 1957 Dec. 24, 1940.

2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 24, 1940. w STROBDGE y 2,225,450

GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE Filed Feb. 18, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 EN l IW au v Lllorncgls Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE Application February 18, 1937, Serial No. 126,499

9 Claims.

This invention pertains to garment presses, and has to do more particularly with the provision of means whereby the actual pressure imposed upon the garment or article being treated may be regulated and directly and visually indicated.

In factory operations where a number of like garments are being fabricated and pressed, it is highly desirable that the finish of each and all of them should be substantially uniform. This is true even where a plurality of presses are emplcyed to effectuate the same pressing operation; or, say, a single machine is utilized to press successive garments.

The structure hereinafter set forth in detail may be said to be an improvement or carrying 'forward of the invention set forth and claimed in Letters Patent No. 1,864,680 issued to me June 28, 1932, and presents a mechanism whereby the press may be manually adjusted to ensure the imposition of the desired and reequisite pressure with a visual indication thereof. While the mechanism as disclosed in said patent well served its intended purpose of providing a simple and effective means for adjusting the `head for different thicknesses of goods, nevertheless experience gained` from the wide use of this device has indicated that such adjustments result in guess work as tothe total pressure actually obtained between the pressing members. Such guess work is occasioned not only by variations in the goods being pressed but also in the compression with continued use of the padding with which the buck or xed pressing member is covered.

. In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation, with parts broken away and in section, of a press embodying the invention;

Fig. 2, a top plan view of the head carrying levervand certain related parts, the head being omitted;

Fig. 3, a vertical longitudinal sectional view on the line III-III of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4, a diagrammatic View illustrating how the pressure gage directly indicates the actual total pressure obtaining between the pressing elements.

In the drawings, I denotes the frame of the press provided with two laterally spaced upstanding elements II and I2 at the rear portion thereof.

' The usual buck or fixed pressing element secured to an upstanding element I3 is denoted by I4 and cooperates with the head or movable pressing element I5. Said head is secured to and carried by the forward end of a lever which will preferably take the form best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Broadly, it may be said to comprise two side bars or elements I6 and I'I interconnected adjacent their forward ends by a tie cross-bar I8, the side elements converging toward their rear ends and merging into a counterweight I9 or a counterweight box.

The lever, as is usual, is fulcrumed upon a cross-shaft 2| mounted in the upper ends of elements II and I2 and extending through hubs 22 10 and 23 (Fig. 2) formed, respectively, upon the lever elements I3 and I'I.

In the instant case, a toggle mechanism actuated by the operator toward press-closing position is illustrated. 1

It may be said to comprise a foot lever 24 fulcrunied to frame I0 at 25, and connected to the lower end of a draw link 26, which, in turn, is pivotally connected to the forward end of va lever 2'! pivoted at 28. The rear portion of said lever forms in effect one element or link of a primary toggle, the second link whereof is indicated at 29. Said latter'link is pivotally connected at 3| to the lower link 32 of a secondary toggle, the other link whereof is denoted by 33. Links 32 and 33 are pivoted at 34, while link 32 at its lower end is fulcrumed to frame IU, as upon the pivot element 25.

The upper ends of the two elements or plates which constitute link 33 are pivotally attached as at 37a to the lower and rearwardly extending arm 35 of a bell crank lever, the upwardly extending arrn whereof is denoted by 36. Said bell crank lever is fulcrumed upon a shaft 3'I the ends of which are secured in hub-like elements 33 and 39 formed, respectively, with the arms or elements I6 and II of the head carrying lever.

The usual spring d I, connected to link 33 and a fixed portion of the machine and which is stressed when the pressing elements I4 and I5 are brought together in pressing relation, is employed to assist the counterweight in moving the head carrying lever to press open position. Lever El carries a pad 'I0 which cooperates with an adjustable stop 'll mounted upon a fixed portion of the frame. v

To adjust the parts so that a predetermined pressure will be obtained between the head and buck, the following readily adjustable and visible means is employed: Secured to the cross-bar I8 is an eye-bolt d2, which is held in place by a crcwn nut i3 located at the forward face of the and holding the eye-belt rigidly in position with reference to said cross-bar. Attached to the eye-boltby means of a pin 44 is an ex- 55 pansible chamber device for converting mechanical force into static hydraulic pressure. In its preferred form it comprises an assembly made up of a cylinder 45 in which is incorporated a piston 46, a cup washer 41, a spring 48, a cylinder adjusting nut 49 and a cylinder adjusting lock nut 5|.

Pivotally attached to and extending forwardly from the upper end of the bell crank lever 36 is a coupling element 52 into which is threaded an adjusting rod 53. Said rod has pinned to it the hub 54 of a hand Wheel. This Wheel takes the form best shown in Fig. 3, that is to say, it is provided with a forwardly extending bell-shaped portion 55 which flares outwardly and terminates in a ring or annular hand-hold portion 56. It is thus spaced away from the cylinder 45 but is carried forwardly where it may be readily grasped by the operator, to turn the rod 53 in one or another direction and to vary the effective length by turning it into or out of the coupling 52. So, too, it acts as a shroud, to prevent any tampering with the factory adjustment of the cylinder adjusting nut 49.

The adjusting rod 53 extends through the cylindrical adjusting nut 45 and is equipped inside the cylinder 45 with a ball thrust bearing 51 and a castellated nut 58. The space in the forward portion of the cylinder, or that in front of the cup washer, is lled with an hydraulic fluid, such as a vegetable oil of the composition used in hydraulic brakes.

Opening into this forward portion of the cylinder is a nipple 59 of a gage 6I, which may be said to be of the usual pressure type employing a Bourdon tube. The dial of the gage'. as will be seen upon reference to Fig. 4, carries a special reading so that the unit pressure created in the space at the forward end of the cylinder and which acts on the Bourdon tube of the gage, is transmitted to the pointer of the gage and indicates the actual total pressure obtaining between the pressing elements. This is demonstrated more clearly in the diagrammatic view (Fig. 4) in which it is assumed that the actual total pressure between the pressing elements is 1250 lbs., which is indicated by the pointer on the gage dial.

It will be noted that in order to obtain this pressure between the pressing elements, an upward thrust from the rear or secondary toggle of the pressing machine, amounting to 1813 lbs. is required, and this pressure converted through the bell crank 35, 36, produces a thrust of 557 lbs. on the adjusting rod 53. This thrust converted into unit pressure in the fluid space amounts to 375 lbs. per square inch. By reason of this reduced thrust, it has been found advantageous to actuate the piston of the hydraulic cylinder from the longer arm 36 of the bell crank, in order to reduce the unit pressure on the fluid in the cylinder and, consequently, the proportions of such hydraulic cylinder to a minimum. For the example just recited, if it were necessary to deal directly with the upward thrust of 1813 lbs. exerted by the toggle 32-33, there would be induced in the hydraulic cylinder a unit pressure of 1220 lbs. per square inch, instead of the 375 lbs. per square inch above mentioned. Such high unit pressure would necessitate much heavier construction and greater difculty in maintaining the piston and cylinder in uid tight condition also follows. Thus, for the particular construction so far described, the dial of the gage is graduated on the basis of indicating a total pressure between the head and buck which is 31/3 times the actual unit pressure built up on the hydraulic fluid in the cylinder. Thus, the upper limit of the range of this pressure indicator is 2500 lbs., corresponding to 750 lbs. per square inch pressure in the fluid space. A unit pressure of 2440 lbs. per square inch would be built up in the fluid space were the piston working in the cylinder not connected with the long arm of the bell crank. In this connection, I would direct attention to the fact that the fulcrum of the bell crank in the present instance is forward of the short arm; in other words, the short arm extends rearwardly from the fulcrum 31, so that the parts are oppositely disposed from what they are in my Patent No. 1,864,680, above mentioned, and function differently, as will be apparent.

It will be realized, of course, that any change in the proportions of the bell crank 35, 36, or ini the bore of the cylinder would necessitate a change in the figures shown upon the dial of the gage. 'I'he principle` of transmission of the unit pressure into what may be termed a proportional reading dial, indicating the actual total pressure between the head and buck would, however, remain the same. v

'I'he spring 48 is simply for the purpose of restoring the piston 46 and the cup washer 41 upon release of the pressure between the pressing elements, to their original position, for there is obviously a very slight movement of said member in order to build up the pressure on the hydraulic uid.

The purpose of having what may be termed a cylindrical or shrouded adjusting nut is primarily for the correct setting of the pressure gage at zero after the space in the forward portion of the cylinder has been filled with the hydraulic fluid; and, secondarily, to hold the ball thrust bearing 51 on the rod 53. The purpose of the ball bearing is to insure an easy manual adjustment of the pressure even after the press has been closed and pressure is being exerted between the head and buck.

It will be obvious that in closing the press head to the pressing position, there will be an upward thrust of the upper link 33, which will be transmitted to the bell crank 35, 36, into a thrust upon the adjusting rod 53 toward the front of the press. This latter thrust is necessitated by the liquid in the space at the forward end. of the cylinder, which creates a known unit pressure, as above set forth, which is transmitted to the pressure indicating gage. This will show the operator exactly what the press is accomplishing under any given adjustment and by merely turning the rod 53 into or out of the coupling 52, the pressure may be decreased or increased as desired.

As will be apparent from an inspection of the drawings the gage is directly in the normal line of vision of the operator and this at the forward portion of the machine. Again it is to be noted that the gage is directly connected to and supported by the cylinder which forms, as above described, an element of the pressure indicating mechanism, thus obviating the necessity of any piping between said elements.

What is claimed is:

l. In a garment press, the combination of a xed pressing element; a relatively movable pressing element; a support for said movable pressing element; means for moving said support and thereby bringing the pressing elements into pressing relation; and means for indicating the actual total pressure established between 75 the pressing elements when brought into pressing relation, said means being mounted upon and carried by the support for the movable pressing element and comprising an hydraulic cylinder, a piston mounted for movement therein, a rod connected at one end to the piston and having a threaded connection at its opposite end with an element of the means for moving the support for the movable pressing element into pressing position, means connected to the rod for rotating the same, whereby its eifective length may be increased or decreased to vary the effective volumetric content of the cylinder forward of the piston when the press is closed and consequently the pressure upon the liquid within the cylinder, and a gage-communicating with the uid within the cylinder.

2. A structure as set forth in claim l, wherein the means for rotating the rod comprises a hand wheel cup-shaped in form, the main body of the wheel overlying the adjacent end of the cylinder and its allied parts.

3. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a frame; a buck mounted thereon; a head; a lever to which the head is secured; means for supporting said lever upon the frame; a fixed cross-bar carried by the lever; a toggle having an upper link; a bell crank lever pivotally connected to the head carrying lever, said bell crank having one arm extending upwardly and its second shorter arm pivotally connected to the upper end of the upper link of the toggle; a cylinder having a pivotal connection with reference to the cross-bar aforesaid, said cylinder extending rearwardly of the lever toward the upwardly extending arm of the bell crank; a piston mounted within said cylinder; a piston rod extending rearwardly from the piston and having a threaded connection with relation to the upstanding arm -of the bell crank lever; a hand wheel Xedly secured to the piston rod whereby said rod may be rotated to vary its effective length with reference to the piston and the bell crank; and a gage communicating with the forward end of the cylinder ahead of the piston and being in direct communication with the hydraulic fluid located in that portion of the cylinder.

4. In a garment press, the combination of a frame; a buck mounted thereon; a head; a head carrying lever to which the head is secured, said lever being pivoted to the frame intermediate its ends; a cross-bar forming a portion of the lever; an hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected to said cross-bar; a piston mounted within said cylinder at that end remote from its pivotal connection;

a ball thrust bearing taking against the outermost end of the piston; a rotatable piston rod extending therethrough and connected therewith, said rod extending outwardly of the cylinder;

0 means for arresting the outward movement of the thrust bearing; means for rocking the lever to carry the movable pressing element into pressing relation with the buck; threaded connections between the piston rod and said means for varying the effective volumetric content of 6. In a garment press, the combination of a frame; a buck mounted thereon; a head; a head carrying lever pivoted to the frame; a cross-bar located at the forward portion of the lever; operator operated means effective upon the rear portion of the head carrying lever to rock the lever to bring the head into pressing relation with the buck; an hydraulic cylinder pivotally attached to the cross-bar; a gage opening into the forward end of the cylinder and communicating with the liquid therein; a piston mounted in the rear portion of the cylinder; a thrust bearing contacting the rear portion of the piston; a rod extending from said thrust bearing outwardly of the cylinder and adjustably attached by a threaded connection to the operator operated press closing means aforesaid; and a hand wheel secured to the rod for rotating the same to vary its effective length and consequently to shift the piston and thereby to control the eifective volumetric content of the cylinder forward of the piston. e

7. A structure as set forth in claim 6, wherein the hand wheel has a shrouded body portion extending forwardly over and surrounding the rear portion of the cylinder in spaced relation therewith and provided with a laterally extending rim or hand hold portion.

8. In a garment pressing machine, a frame having a buck mounted thereon; a head carrying lever pivoted on said frame; a head on said lever for cooperation with said buck; means for roeking said lever to move said head with respect to said buck; a pressure gage arranged to indicate the actual total pressure applied to said buck by said head; hydraulic means for actuating said gage, said means comprising an expansible chamber device for converting mechanical force into static hydraulic pressure, said device including a movable element; and force reducing means interposed between said hydraulic means and said rocking means, said force reducing means comprising a bell crank lever having a short and a long arm, said bell crank being fulcrumed on the head carrying lever and having its short arm connected to said rocking means rearwardly of the fulcrum of the bell crank, and its long arm connected to the movable element of said device.

9. In a garment pressing machine, a frame having a buck mounted thereon; a head carrying lever pivoted on said frame; a head on said lever for cooperation with said buck; means for rocking said lever to move said head with respect to said buck; a pressure gage arranged to indicat-e the actual total pressure applied to said buck by said head; hydraulic means for actuating said gage, said means comprising an expansible` chamber device for converting mechanical force into hydraulic pressure, said device having a movable element; force reducing means interposed between said hydraulic means and said rocking means, said force reducing means comprising a bell crank lever having a short and a long arm, said bell crank being fulcrumed on the head carrying lever and having its short arm connected to said rocking means; and manually adjustable means forming the connection between said movable element and the long arm of the bell crank for varying the effective force which may be applied through said lever by said rocking means to the movable element.

lWILLIAM STROBRIDGE. 

